Drafting accessory



July 30, 1968 A, GROSS 3,394,900

DRAFTING ACCESSORY 2 Shets-Sheeti 7 Filed Sept. 7. 1966' INVEN 70/? ALEXAM/DER GROSS July 30, 1968 A. GROSS DRAFTING ACCESSORY 2 SheetsSheet 2Filed Sept.

INVENTOR ALEXANDER GROSS By ATTORNEYS- Jmm Y hm

United States Patent 3,394,900 DRAFTING ACCESSORY Alexander Gross, 1201Chelten Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19138 Filed Sept. 7, 1966, Ser. No.577,709 Claims. (Cl. 24267.1)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Drafting accessory is disclosed whereindrafting paper may be unwound from a central chamber and transparentpolymeric material may be unwound from a roller so that it overlies thedrafting paper. The polymeric material may be separately wound onaligned rollers so that only a portion of the drafting paper is coveredby the same.

This invention relates to a drafting accessory, and more particularly,to an accessory adapted to be utilized in conjunction with draftingtables or the like.

In conjunction with drafting boards on which large drawings are made,there is an inherent problem of smearing or otherwise obscuring portionsof a drawing already completed while working on the same. Thus,draftsmen generally lean on the drafting board with their elbows whileworking on a drawing. If the sheet of paper is large, one or more viewson the lefthand side of the page, for example, are subjected to beingsmeared while the draftsman is working on one or more views on therighthand side of the page.

Quite often complicated mechanisms require the draftsman to refer backto already completed portions of a large drawing, hence it is necessaryto have completed portions visible for ready access and comparison.Quite often an accident occurs whereby liquids are spilled on one-halfof the drawing which has already been completed. :In accordance with thepresent invention, these problems are solved by providing at least tworolls of material each individually being capable of obscuring orotherwise overlying a portion of a completed drawing on a draftingboard. The material is preferably made from a transparent or translucentpolymeric plastic material. When one-half of a drawing is completed, theplastic material is capable of being unwound and positioned so as tooverlie the completed portion of the drawing. Thereafter, the completedportion of the drawing is not likely to be subjected to smearing oraccidental damage by moisture from the hands of the draftsman, liquids,impurities in the air which would settle out as dust, etc.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel draftingaccessory which is simple, economical to manufacture, easy to install,reliable, and requires little or no maintenance.

-It is another object of the present invention to provide a draftingaccessory which facilitates covering a portion of a drawing which hasalready been completed so as to prevent inadvertent smearing of thecompleted portion of the drawing while the draftsman is working on theremainder of the drawing.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a draftingaccessory which facilitates selective covering of a portion of a drawingby transparent protective material.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in thedrawing a form which is presently preferred; it being understood,however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangementsand instrumentalities shown.

3,394,900 Patented July 30, 1968 FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of adrafting table incorporating the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 22 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 44 in FIGURE 3.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein like numerals indicate likeelements, there is shown in FIGURE 1 a drafting table designatedgenerally as 10. The drafting table 10 includes a table top 12 supportedby a plurality of legs 14. The legs 14 are interconnected by a brace 16.A drafting board 18 is hingedly connected to the table top 12 along oneend. Means are provided for selectively raising and lowering thedrafting board 18 with respect to the table top 12. The above-describedcomponents of the drafting table 10 are exemplary and per se form nopart of the present invention.

A generally tubular housing 20 is removably connected to the draftingtable 12 along one end of the drafting board 18 in any convenient mannersuch as by screws, hinges or the like. The housing 20 includes aninterior generally cylindrical chamber 25 defined by the inner surfaceof a curved wall 23 terminating at one end in a lip 22 and at its otherend in a flange 24. Flange 24 is generally fiat, spaced above the lip22, and partially overlies the upper surface of the drafting board 18 asshown more clearly in FIGURE 2.

For purposes of illustration, there is illustrated on the board 18 asheet of paper designated generally as 26. As shown in FIGURE 2, thesheet of paper 26 may he slid into the chamber 25 and caused to assume arolled condition therein. Such insertion of the sheet of paper 26 intochamber 25 may occur at the completion of a days work and so as not toleave the partially completed drawing on paper 26 exposed overnight.Alternatively, it is often desirable to cause the lower portion of thesheet of paper 26 to enter chamber 25 when the draftsman is working onthe upper portion of paper 26 and desires to have the same immediatelyin front of him at the lower portion of the board 18 for ready access.The latter situation is desirable so that the draftsman does not contactportions of the completed drawing on the lower portion of the paper 26.

In FIGURE 1, the drafting table 10 is provided with one for-m of aconventional straightedge 28. The present invention does not interferewith the use of the straighted-ge 28. As shown more clearly in FIGURE 2,there is provided a second generally tubular supporter housing 30.Housing 30' is connected in any convenient manner to the outer peripheryof wall 23. The housing 30 has a longitudinal slot, one edge of which isdefined by lip 31. The opposite edge is connected to the lower edge of acurved wall 32. Wall 32 terminates at its upper end in a horizontalflange 34. Flange 34 is parallel to but shorter than flange 24. Housings20 and 30 are preferably extruded as a unitary structure as illustrated.

The housing 20 may be provided with removable end caps 36 and 38 whichtelescope over the ends of wall 32, if desired. Housing 30 is providedwith rollers 40 and 42 on opposite sides of a central wall 44. End caps36' and 38' may be provided for the housing 30. The rollers 40 and 42are spring-wound like a conventional window shade. A polymeric plasticmaterial 46 is wound on the roller 40. A similar plastic materialdesignated as 46 is wound on roller 42. Materials 46 and 46' arepreferably transparent or translucent. A suitable transparent flexiblepolymeric material would be methyl methacrylate sold commercially asLucite.

One end of the materials 46 and 46 is secured to their respectiverollers. The other end of material 46 is connected to an elongatedretainer 48 having a knob on its upper surface so that it may be graspedby the fingers of the draftsman. The lower surface of retainer 48 isprovided with an anti-slip material such as felt. A similar retainer 48'is provided for the material 46'. The housing 30 may be provided withslots 50 so that the rollers may be inserted and/or replaced thereinto.

The present invention is utilized as follows:

When the draftsman desires to work on the lefthand side of paper 26, therighthand side may be covered by material 46 as illustrated in FIGURE 1.It will be noted that the retainer 48 overlies flange 24 and abutsagainst the end of flange 34. The height of the retainer 48 is greaterthan the distance between the flanges 24 and 34. The material 46 iswound on the roller 40, extends through the chamber defined by curvedwalls 23 and 33. The material 46 may overlie or pass beneath thestraightedge 28 as desired. The felt on the lower surface of retainer 48prevents the retainer from sliding towards the lower edge of the board18.

When the draftsman has completed the left side of the drawing on paper26, the relative positions of retainers 48 and 48' are reversed. Indoing so, the draftsman will then be covering the completed portion ofthe drawing by the material 46. At the same time, the draftsman will beexposing the righthand portion of the paper 26 which was previouslyprotected by the material 46 so as to prevent smudges, moisture from thearms of the draftsman, etc. The materials 46 and 46 are preferablytransparent. This enables the draftsman to immediately view thecompleted portion of the drawing while he is working on the remainder.

On relatively small drawings, or drawings wherein it is not necessaryfor the draftsman to have ready reference to completed portions of thedrawing, the materials 46 or 46' may be made translucent or opaque. Ifthe materials 46 and 46' are opaque, they may be utilized to cover upthe partially completed drawing overnight. In this manner, partiallycompleted drawings will not be exposed on the drafting board overnightor during nonworking hours for observation by anyone passing by thesame. -It would be within the scope of the present invention to providethree or more of the rollers of polymeric plastic material in the eventthat extremely long drawings are being made. For example, complicatedflow charts are often made on sheets of drawing which are so long as torequire three separately independent rollers. It would also be withinthe scope of the present invention to mount a separate opaque materialon a shadetype roller within the chamber 25 for obscuring the entirepaper 26 overnight. In the latter event, the material 26 would no bereadily insertable into the chamber 25 that is illustrated and describedabove.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and,accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, ratherthan to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of theinvention.

I claim:

1. A drafting accessory comprising a generally tubular housing, means onthe housing for mounting the housing along one edge of a drafting board,a roller in said housing, said housing having first and second slots, atransparent flexible polymeric material wound on said roller andextending through said first slot, a retainer on an exposed edge of saidmaterial, said retainer being of suflicient size so that it can notenter said housing, said housing having a central chamber communicatingwith said second slot so that drafting paper may be removed by unwindingthe same through said second slot, said second slot being radiallycloser to the longitudinal axis of said central chamber than said firstslot, whereby material may be unwound and overly a portion of a completedrawing on the drafting paper to prevent smearing of the drawing.

2. An accessory in accordance with claim 1 including at least tworollers in said housing, with separate polymeric material wound on eachof said rollers, each material having a retainer, and each materialbeing independently operable, and said rollers being in end to endrelation so that the materials may overlie separate portions of adrawing.

3. An accessory in accordance with claim 1 wherein said housing includesspaced parallel curved walls ae fining said slots, said curved wallsterminating in spaced parallel straight flanges, one flange being abovethe other flange, with the one flange being shorter than the lowerflange.

4. A drafting accessory comprising a generally tubular housing adaptedto be mounted along an edge of the drafting board, a roller in saidhousing, said housing having a slot, a transparent flexible polymericmaterial wound on said roller and capable of being unwound through saidslot, a retainer on an exposed end of said material, said retainer beingof suflicient size so that it cannot enter said housing, said housingincluding spaced parallel curved walls defining said slot, said curvedwalls terminating in spaced parallel straight flanges, one flange beingabove the other flange, with said one flange being shorter than thelower flange, a generally tubular support connected in each of saidcurved walls, said second support receiving said roller and having anelongated slot aligned with the space between the curved walls, wherebysaid material may be unwound and overly a portion of a complete drawingto prevent smearing of the drawmg.

5. An accessory in accordance with claim 4 including a drafting tablehaving a drafting board, means securing said housing to said board, eachof said flanges being generally parallel to the upper surface of saidboard, said lower flange partially overlying a portion of said board.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,377,461 5/ 1921 Brixey 160-1201,469,485 10/ 1923 Rivetta 242-71.1 1,934,952 11/1933 Shoemaker 24267.12,187,547 1/ 1940 Pollock 242-7 1.1 2,474,747 6/ 1949 Madriguera 160253,147,681 9/ 1964 Sanderson 242---71.1 X 3,220,661 11/ 1965 Hegedus242-67 .1 3,245,635 4/1966 Signor 242107 3,255,977 6/ 1966 Halco 242-553,288,389 11/1966 Gersch et a1. 242--71.1

FOREIGN PATENTS 0, 689 9/ 1952 Germany. 86,708 12/ 1955 Norway.

OTHER REFERENCES German printed application 1,126,239, March 1962.

WILLIAM S. BURDEN, Primary Examiner.

